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< | Developing a Heuristic to Understand the Christian Acceptance of Secular Jurisprudence |
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> | Why Many Christians Accept Secular Jurisprudence |
| | -- By JackSherrick - 21 Feb 2021
Introduction |
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< | In 1524, German peasants waged war against the aristocracy. Among other goals, the peasants sought to protect their legal interests to land and secure other advantages that the aristocracy had deprived them. During the conflict, the peasants sought the support of the father of the Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther. Luther's opposition to the oppression of the Catholic Church suggested to the peasants that he would take a similar stance against the aristocracy's political oppression. However, rather than give the peasants his blessing, Luther penned a scathing letter condemning the peasant's plight and beseeching them to acquiesce to aristocratic rule. Luther agreed with many of the peasant's demands but nevertheless instructed the peasants to "suffer to the end, and leave the case to Him (God). " |
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> | In 1524, German peasants waged war against the aristocracy. The peasant demanded legal advantages that the aristocracy had deprived them. During the conflict, the peasants sought the support of the father of the Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther. Luther's opposition to the oppression of the Catholic Church suggested to the peasants that he would take a similar stance against the aristocracy's political oppression. However, rather than give the peasants his blessing, Luther penned a scathing letter condemning the peasant's plight and beseeching them to acquiesce to aristocratic rule. Luther agreed with many of the peasant's demands but nevertheless instructed the peasants to "suffer to the end, and leave the case to Him (God). " |
| | Idea |
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< | Luther's position is representative of the outlook many Christians hold today. Many Christians are willing to subject themselves to secular laws that do not align with their religious laws because they put little stock in the quality of their temporal lives relative to the eternal wellbeing of their souls. They also have a belief that original sin has placed a low ceiling on the degree of justice that can possibly be achieved on earth. Regardless of how "good" a law is, the corrupt nature of the human condition precludes the law from having much of a positive impact. Instead, there is a prevailing belief that positive change is best achieved on an individual rather than institutional level. As a brief caveat, this essay is not seeking to paint all Christians with a broad brush. Many Christian organizations such as the Southern Christian Leadership Conference seek to radically restructure society through legal means and do not hold the fatalistic or dismissive attitudes towards legal change that I describe in this essay. |
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> | Luther's position is representative of the outlook many Christians hold today. Many Christians are willing to subject themselves to secular laws that do not align with their religious laws because they put little stock in the quality of their temporal lives relative to the eternal wellbeing of their souls. They also have a belief that original sin has placed a low ceiling on the degree of justice that can possibly be achieved on earth. Regardless of how "good" a law is, the corrupt nature of the human condition precludes the law from having much of a positive impact. Instead, there is a prevailing belief in the that positive change is best achieved on an individual rather than institutional level. As a brief caveat, this essay is not seeking to paint all Christians with a broad brush. Many Christian organizations such as the Southern Christian Leadership Conference seek to radically restructure society through legal means and do not hold the fatalistic or dismissive attitudes towards legal change that I describe in this essay. |
| | Expected Life Utility
Many Christians view their life on earth as merely a blip in the eternal timeline of their existence. This makes sense if you assume that your soul has an eternal lifespan. (Average life span on earth/eternal life span of the soul ≈ 0). The following equation seeks to explain how those who believe in the eternity of their existence would seek to optimize their expected life utility. |
| | Original Sin |
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< | Many Christians view the human condition as a depraved state devoid of significant potential for improvement. Original sin has marred temporal existence beyond repair and any attempt to reach the prelapsarian heights of Eden is an exercise in futility. Not only does such an endeavor have an impossible goal, it borders on the sort of pride exhibited by those builders of the tower of Babel who sought to be equal to God. This sort of attitude invites disengagement from legal reform. The courts nominal quest for justice serves an unachievable purpose. A belief in original sin plays a role in the promulgation of the miracle motif. Widespread reforms are seen as fruitless but change is possible on an individual scale. |
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> | I worked in construction this past summer and would frequently exchange world-views with my foreman Jim, a devout Lutheran. One day, we were discussing America's military strength and I suggested reducing military spending as a means of preventing future wars. Jim gave me a perplexed look and responded, "why would I try to stop war? I don't try to stop the sun from coming up?" Many Christians view the human condition as a depraved state devoid of significant potential for improvement. Original sin has marred temporal existence beyond repair and any attempt to reach the prelapsarian heights of Eden is an exercise in futility. Not only does such an endeavor have an impossible goal, it borders on the sort of pride exhibited by those builders of the tower of Babel who sought to be equal to God. This sort of attitude invites disengagement from legal reform. The courts nominal quest for justice serves an unachievable purpose. A belief in original sin plays a role in the promulgation of the miracle motif. Widespread reforms are seen as fruitless but change is possible on an individual scale. |
| | Conclusion
This analysis is intended to provide helpful heuristic framework to understand some Christians' psychological relationship to secular law. It is not intended to be a hatchet job on Christian thinking nor an exoneration of the behaviors that arise out of this sort of thinking. This analysis could be further nuanced by considering factors such as political ideology and racial attitudes or by extrapolating my argument onto other faiths. While many Christians may have a fatalistic and unengaged attitude towards secular law, they still have outsized political influence in America. White Christians compose only 43 percent of the American public yet they make up 55 percent of American voters. This indicates that fatalistic attitudes may not necessarily depressed turnout. |
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< | Thoughts on how to add to this paper |
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> | Thoughts on how to improve this essay in the next draft |
| | Linking psychological attitudes towards behavior, as Weber does in The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism
I could discuss Brown as a counterargument wherein religious belief motivates one to actively oppose secular jurisprudence rather than acquiesce to it. Someone mentioned on the pad that there seems to be a correlation between being an activist leader and having strong religious beliefs.(e.g. Brown, King, Malcolm X). I agree but believe this correlation is only present in activist leaders, not necessarily in the less ardent supporters of a movement. |
| | A contemporary and somewhat ridiculous version of Luther's message to the peasants that they should "leave the case to God."
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> | Remove the caveats, don't be so direct in discussing additional ideas that could be taken from this theory
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